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Content Page no.

Introduction to Delhi 3

Geography 4

History of Delhi 5

Forts and monuments 8

Government 15

Temples 16

Shopping 20

Delhi food 25

INTRODUCTION TO DELHI Delhi, known locally as Dilli and by the official name National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest metropolis by population in India. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with more than 12.25 million inhabitants in the territory.

It is the capital of India and its political and cultural center. Located on the banks of the River Yamuna, Delhi has been continuously inhabited since at least the 6th century BCE.

Delhi is located at 28.61°N 77.23°E, and lies in Northern India.

It borders the Indian states of Haryana on the north, west and south and Uttar Pradesh (UP) to the east.

The Hindon River separates Ghaziabad from the eastern part of Delhi

Delhi has the third highest quantity of trees among Indian cities. Delhi was one of the ten most polluted cities in the world.

Delhi won the United States Department of Energy's first 'Clean Cities International Partner of the Year' award for its "bold efforts to curb air pollution and support alternative fuel initiatives".

HISTORY OF DELHI

History of DelhiAccording to Indian folklore, Delhi was the site of the magnificent and

opulent Indraprastha, capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata, founded around 3500 BC.

It was, one of the five prasthas or `plains', which included Sonepat, Panipat, Tilpat (near Faridabad), and Baghpat. 16th-century, Persian historian, Firishta, recorded a tradition that Delhi or Dilli was founded by a Raja Dhilu before the Yavana (Greek) invasions.

However, it should be noted that the kings then referred to the initial Muslim invaders as Yavanas

The Indian capital city of Delhi has a long history, including a history as the capital of several empires.

In the mid-16th century there was an interruption in the Mughal rule of India as Sher Shah Suri defeated Babur's son Humayun and forced him to flee toAfghanistan and Persia.

After defeating Akbar's army on 7 October 1556 at Tughlakabad fort area, Hemu acceded to Delhi throne and established Hindu Raj in North India for a brief period, and was bestowed with the title 'Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya', at his coronation in Purana Quila, Delhi.

Sher Shah Suri built the sixth city of Delhi, as well as the old fort known as Purana Qila, Islam Shah ruled from Delhi till 1553 when Hindu king Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called Hemu, became the Prime Minister and Chief of Army of Adil Shah.

Forts and monuments

INDIA GATEThis solemn monument was built in memory of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I.

It was built in 1931, designed by Lutyens, and was originally called the All India War Memorial.The names of the soldiers are inscribed on the walls of the arc of the gate. Later in 1971, an eternal flame was lit here in memory of the unknown soldiers who died in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

Qutab MinarThe highest stone tower in India, the Qutub Minar was built by Qutbuddin Aibak (1192).It was built to celebrate Ghori's victory over the Rajputs.The Minar is a five-storey building with a height of 72.5 metres. The first storey of the Qutb Minar was completed in the lifetime of Qutbuddin. His son-in-law and successor, Iltumush, added the next three storeys.Within the complex, is the famous

Iron Pillar which has stood for millennia without rusting,

Qutb Minar is a successful tribute to architecture

RED FORTThe Red Fort, with a circumference of over 2.2 kilometers, was laid out by the banks of the Yamuna river in the 17th century.The Mughal emperor Shajahan built it. Imagine the Naqqar Khana (Drum room) also called Naubat Khana (Welcome Room), where once drums loudly heralded the arrival of the emperor and the Diwan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience) resounded with the incantations of the people.

Amazing, isn't it? There's more to see - Mumtaz Mahal, Rang Mahal (Palace of Colours), Khas Mahal (Emperor's Palace), Diwan-e Khas (Hall of Private Audience), the Hammam (bathing area) and Shah Burj.

RASHTRAPATI BHAWANThe house that houses the President of India and the house that boasts of having welcomed the most powerful men in history. The Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens and built in 1931.Originally called the Viceroy's HouseIt has 340 rooms, 37 salons, 74 lobbies and loggias, 18 staircases and 37 fountains. The most magnificent room in the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the Durbar Hall, which lies directly beneath the main dome. All important Indian State and Official ceremonies are held here.

MUGHAL GARDENSMughal garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan, is the famous and beautifully landscaped Mughal Gardens. The garden is famous as the 'Butterfly Garden' for the numerous butterflies that visit the varied flowers. The garden is open to the public in February. A wide variety of lilies,the China oranges, the

cyclamens

JANTAR MANNTAR

If you are an astronomy buff then Delhi has something for you. Jantar Mantar - the 18th century observatory. Sawai Jai Singh II built it in 1724 when commissioned by the then Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah. And this is a piece of engineering and scientific brilliance. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi is one of the five observatories that Jai Singh built in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura.

GOVERNMENT

The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in IndiaThe Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States)

Temple

s

AKSHARDHAM Akshardham Temple is a

magnificent Hindu shrine located on the banks of River Yamuna .The building is constructed entirely from Pink Sandstone and Italian marble, without any concrete or steel .The intricate carvings, magnanimous structure and the backdrop of River Yamuna, render the temple a masterpiece of art

ISKCON TEMPLE This magnificent temple has been constructed by International Society for Krishna Consciousness, an organization dedicated to the worship and propagation of Lord Krishna 

LOTUS TEMPLEThe Baháí House of Worship is

popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape. The temple was built by a Persian architect, Fariborz Sahba and was completed in 1986

Inspired by the lotus flower, the design for the House of Worship is composed of 27 free- standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.

SHOPPING

Established in 1951, and named in honour of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan . One of the most chic and classy shopping markets of the capital city.Some of the best things about this market is its interesting book shops and lampshades.Khan Chachas kebabs are worth a visit 

KHAN MARKET

It is one of the narrowest, busiest and most prosperous trading centers of Delhi. The lanes of Chandini Chowk are divided into bazaars with different areas of specialization for fabrics, head to Katra Neel ,Dariba Kalan is Old Delhis ancient silver market, full of silver jewelry. It is well known for typical Delhi foods 

Chandini Chowk

Janpath is famous for silver and inexpensive jewellery . It is the perfect for buying the latest fashion goods at cheap prices . One thing to remember while shopping at Janpath is to bargain as much as you can. There is no limit to how low you can get the prices.

Janpath

Dilli Haat is spread over an area of approximately 6 acres and has a typical traditional Indian village look to boast of An exotic variety of handicrafts and handlooms ranging from intricate woodcarvings to embellished camel hide footwear, to sophisticated fabric and drapery, to gems and beads to metal crafts offers an amalgamation of handicrafts, food and cultural activities

Dilli Haat

THE DELHI FOODvery delicious chaat, boiled potatoes (aloo) are cubed,

fried, and spiced up, then served hot with toothpicks.

This street chaat, or snack, is a golden-fried potato (aloo) patty, often stuffed with something with peas and served with a variety of spicy chutneys, and chole (chickpeas)

Chole bhature is a Punjabi concoction of spicy curried chickpeas (chole) and puffy fried white-flour bread (bhature), (it’s also known as chana bhatura). 

The perfect cooling chaat—and stomach soother—on a hot Delhi day, dahi bhalla consists of creamy dahi and bhalla, bready fried lentil fritters (usually of urad dal). 

This very popular chaat,spicy, crunchy, saucy, all in one explosive bite-size package. Also widely known as pani puri, it consists of a round hollow, crispy that’s filled with potato, chickpea, and flavored water, usually tamarind and/or mint

A popular dessert A popular dessert gulab jamuns are little golden-brown balls made of milk solids and flour, that are deep-fried, coated in a sugary syrup, and served warm.

Moong dal halwa come in many shapes, flavors, and textures. It is made from ground and sweetened mung beans cooked in ghee

A definitive street chaat of Delhi, papri chaat is called so for the crispy-fried round wafers (papri) that give it its addictive crunch. In the style of typical chaat, the papri is accompanied by boiled potato, chickpeas, chaat masala, a yogurt sauce, and tamarind and coriander chutneys, pomegranate seeds. An absolutely perfect marriage of spicy, sweet, tangy, soothing, and crunchy

A favorite dish of Delhi, butter chicken. Butter chicken retains many of the Mughlai trademarks: roasted meat, lots of spices, a thick gravy of butter, cream, and tomato. Add some fluffy traditional naan—or better yet, butter naan—and it’s impossible to go wrong.

Paan is the traditional betel leaf palate-cleanser-cum-digestive. The wide green leaves ritualistically filled and folded into triangles with ingredients, depending on what’s ordered—chopped areca nut, slaked lime paste (chuna), and red katha paste, cardamom, dried coconut, rose petal or sugar paste, fruit syrups, clove, lots of other

Red kidney beans, or rajma, are not native to India, but they show up in this common Punjabi dish paired with rice, or chawal. Soupy and hearty, it’s like a Latin American rice and beans, with Indian spices.